


Holidays Are For Families, Jeremy, And I Don't Have One

by NyxxTheWolf



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fluff, Holidays, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kissing, M/M, Mentioned Gavin/Meg, Mentioned Jack/Caiti, Not really because it's ryan, Rated T for language, mentioned Michael/Lindsay, some minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxxTheWolf/pseuds/NyxxTheWolf
Summary: It's Christmas in Austin and everyone is in a great mood. Everyone, that is, except for Ryan Haywood. After a year plagued with painful memories and being disowned by his family for being in love with his coworker, Jeremy, Ryan wants for nothing more than the holidays to be over. Maybe Jeremy can make these holidays happy.
Relationships: Jeremy Dooley/Ryan Haywood
Kudos: 36





	Holidays Are For Families, Jeremy, And I Don't Have One

**Author's Note:**

> Felt inspired to write something and some fluff-with-angst Jeremwood struck my fancy. Implied Alcoholism because at one point Jeremy makes a comment about being stupid drunk. Rated T for strong language and a whole lot of kissing. It never goes farther than kissing though. There's also a moment of body-consciousness. Also for the purposes of this story, Kat is Jeremy's older sister.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not personally know anybody in this fic aside from those things which they have made public. I am writing this purely for my own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of others. Any events that are written in this fic are FICTIONAL and I do not claim any accuracy to events past, present, or future.
> 
> NOTE: I changed the ending to this because I wasn't happy with it, which also made it longer. So if you read it before and are reading again and think 'wait this ending is different and also longer' that's because it is. I like this ending way better.

I was early on the morning of December 22nd, and Christmas time in Austin meant that the Rooster Teeth offices were a flurry of activity as everyone was preparing to travel for the holidays. Everyone, that is, except for Ryan Haywood. He sighed to himself as Gavin yelled on the phone to some poor airline attendant about getting Meg's ticket to England upgraded to Business Class with him. Next to him, Michael and Lindsey were going on and on about their first family road trip. Jack and Geoff had both already left for their vacations; Jack and Caiti were in Australia with Caiti's family and Geoff had left for South Africa a week ago. Ryan hadn't been planning on doing anything this year. Between the death of his dog and the fact that his stepmom had practically disowned him for being bisexual and dating Jeremy, he just wasn't in the ' _holiday spirit_ ' or whatever.

"Well lads, I'm off to England! Have a good holiday," Gavin said, shutting off his PC before grabbing his coat.

"We're out of here, too," Lindsay replied, taking her backpack off of the white couch before giving Michael a quick peck on the cheek.

"Enjoy your holidays guys," Ryan replied with false joy. He just wanted to finish cleaning up his hard drives and go home. He could feel Jeremy's eyes on him from across the room but he ignored his boyfriend, pulling his headphones on. The younger man had cancelled his plans to see his family back in Boston after hearing that Ryan had intended to spend Christmas alone in his apartment, despite Ryan's protests that he go. They had been arguing about it since Thanksgiving, Ryan insisting that Jeremy spend the holidays with his family and Jeremy insisting that they spend it together. Now that the two were alone, Ryan knew Jeremy would bring it up again, but he also knew that Jeremy wouldn't bother him while he was working. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jeremy sigh and pull his own headphones on before turning back to clearing his hard drives.

A few hours later, Ryan finally slid his headphones off, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. He wiped the exhaustion from his eyes before yawning again and shutting down his computer. He looked over to where Jeremy was sitting, fully immersed in whatever video he was watching. Ryan stood and began packing things into his backpack. With everyone else leaving for the holidays, the Achievement Hunters had prerecorded a massive bank of videos the last few days that would auto-post so they could have the holidays free. Which meant that when Ryan got home he'd have to entertain himself for the next 3 weeks until everyone came back. He grabbed his Switch, as well as his favorite Xbox controller, and carefully placed them into his backpack alongside his headphones, a few cables, and a few of the smaller gifts from fans that had accumulated on his desk. When he was sure he had grabbed everything he needed, he made his way over to Jeremy's desk, pressing a gentle kiss to his head, causing Jeremy to jump a bit.

"Oh God Ryan, I didn't know you were still here," Jeremy said, stretching.

"Yeah, I just finished up. I would have figured that you would've finished up hours ago," Ryan replied.

"I did, I just didn't want to leave you in the office by yourself," the shorter man replied, face flushing slightly as he turned back to his computer to shut it down.

"You didn't have to do that, Jeremy. The same way that you don't have to stick around for Christmas. You should go see your family, I know you guys are really close and it's not fair to them for you not to go because of me," Ryan said, gently touching Jeremy's shoulder.

"Ryan, I already told you. I'm not going to leave you alone on Christmas, especially not our first Christmas together." Jeremy responded curtly. 

"Jeremy, be reasonable, please," Ryan begged. "You still have parents and siblings and a family that gives a damn about you! That's something that I don't fucking get to have anymore, and I will not let you throw that away for me!" Ryan could feel tears in his eyes and he knew that he was going to cry for the millionth time about this. "Please, Jeremy, don't lose what you have."

Jeremy wrapped his arms around Ryan, squeezing the older man. "I'm sorry your family won't accept you, I am. I'm sorry that you don't have a family to go home to. I'm sorry that my family is supportive and your's isn't. But they understand. They do. They get you not wanting to meet them all in such an intimate way. They understand why I want to be here with you this year. They know that in time you'll be comfortable with them and that you'll let them see the Ryan that I get to see, the Ryan that laughs at my stupid jokes and cries at sad puppy videos and that knows how to make me smile no matter what. They know you need time, and they're ready to welcome you into our family on your terms," he said, his brown eyes locked onto Ryan's blue ones.

"I just...it's not that I don't want to meet your family because I do. I know I've already met your dad and Kat, but you have such a big family and I just don't want to make a stupid impression on them the first time I meet them. With everything that's happened to me this year I just don't think I'm ready for a big "'happy family holiday' yet. And then...well, never mind" Ryan said quickly, wiping the tears from his face. 

"Wait, what were you about to say?" Jeremy prodded, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever was making his boyfriend so upset.

"It's stupid, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me, Rye. Just tell me, I won't judge you," Jeremy said, gently squeezing Ryan's hand. 

"I... _Idunnowhatthey'llsayaboutmenotdrinking,_ " he rushed out, looking away from Jeremy.

"What? I understood about 2 syllables out of that," Jeremy said, turning his body to face Ryan again.

The older man sighed, running his hand over his face before plopping down in Michael's chair. "I don't know what they'll say about me not drinking," he repeated, eyes glued to the floor. "You come from a huge Irish family where you bond over beer and whiskey while watching football. I don't drink alcohol, I don't know shit about sports. I'm just some weird theatre nerd from southern Georgia who knows more about Shakespeare than the NFL and who practically vomits at the taste of alcohol. What if they think i'm just some weird queer who will never fit in and be 'one of the guys'?" 

Jeremy stayed silent for a moment, digesting what Ryan had just confessed to him. "Ryan," he started, selecting his words carefully. "I had no idea you felt this way. My family won't judge you because you choose not to drink yourself stupid. Some of the cousins may try to get you to drink, but my parents and Kat will respect your decisions. If you tell them you're not drinking then they'll make sure to have plenty of Diet Coke for you. And they're sure as shit not going to judge you for enjoying theatre. Hell, my mother and Kat will probably talk Broadway with you for hours if you let them. You don't have to like sports or be 'one of the guys' in my family. You're forgetting that I was a teenage boy who did gymnastics and dance and then went to art school. They'll fall in love with you for that sweet southern charm just like I did," he said, blushing as he gently ran his fingers through Ryan's soft hair. 

Ryan looked up at Jeremy, tears flowing freely now. "Are you sure?" he whispered, refusing to believe that a man his age wouldn't immediately be seen as a freak for hating alcohol and sports.

"I'm sure, Rye-bread. I love you and they will too. Don't worry about them not liking you, I know for a fact that they will," Jeremy said, softly giving Ryan a kiss. "Now, how about you and I go back to my place and I'll cook us dinner and we can play Halo or something?"

Ryan smiled. "I'd like that Jeremy." He took the younger mans' hand in his, gently kissing his palm. "After you, Mr. Dooley." Jeremy chuckled as they headed out to the parking lot.

An hour later, they were both laughing as some Netflix comedy special played on the tv while they ate dinner. Jeremy had tried, to his best ability, to cook for Ryan only for the chicken he had put into the oven to turn out to be burnt beyond being edible. Ryan had laughed, making jokes about how Jeremy should save the burnt chicken so they could use it as charcoal for the grill, which led to Jeremy throwing said chicken at Ryan and prompted a middle school-style food fight that left Ryan with bits of chicken in his hair while Jeremy ended up with a face full of rice. They got themselves cleaned up and Ryan had ordered pizza while Jeremy was washing his face, which they were now both inhaling as the comedy special ran its credits. 

"Before we start another movie or play a game I forgot there was one email I have to send off," Jeremy said, chugging the rest of his beer.

"Okay, you do that, I'll get Halo up and running," Ryan replied, kissing Jeremy's forehead. "Be quick."

Jeremy smiled. "I'll be done in 10 minutes, tops," he said before heading into his office.

Ryan shook his head before getting Halo 5 pulled up on Jeremy's tv. He cleaned up their dishes and garbage while he waited for Jeremy, who emerged about 15 minutes later.

"You lied Jeremy, that was fifteen minutes and not ten," Ryan said with a smirk. "You owe me five kisses, one for every minute you were late."

Jeremy smiled, leaning up on his toes to kiss Ryan five times, each one lasting a little bit longer than the last. By the end of it both men were blushing. "Better?"

"Much better. So what was this ultra important email that you had to send right now, at 9PM on December 23rd when nobody will be back in the office for almost 3 weeks?" Ryan questioned, guiding them over to the couch and sprawling out, Jeremy taking up the space between his legs with his back against Ryan's chest. Jeremy snuggled into Ryan's warm body.

"Not a work email, had to email my sister about the gifts I had Amazon deliver to her house for my family. She's gonna wrap them for me, I just wanted to make sure she labelled them correctly."

"And you waited until now to send that email? Remind me to never let you plan anything that requires advance notice," Ryan chuckled, pressing 'Start' on his controller. 

"I'm offended, Ryan" Jeremy said, clutching his chest in mock surprise. "Besides, what needs planning anyways? It's easier to just go with the flow."

"Well, I mean, weddings for one thing," Ryan said, blushing a bit. "Not that we're getting married yet."

Jeremy turned and looked at Ryan. "You mean you've thought about our wedding?"

Ryan shrugged. "I mean, yeah. But I would never rush you into that. If I proposed to you and you weren't ready I would never be mad at you if you said no. Marriage is a massive commitment after all," he said, gently kissing the back of Jeremy's neck. 

Jeremy smiled. "I know you wouldn't pressure me like that Ry. And it's nice to think about but if I'm being honest I'm not ready for that yet. One day, when you do get down on one knee and ask me to be with you forever, I can promise you that I'll be ready to say yes then. But for now, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you in Halo!" He turned back to the tv, promptly firing a shotgun round into Ryan's character before darting behind a wall. 

"Oh it is on now!!" Ryan shouted before taking off towards him.

The two men played until the early hours of the morning, finally stopping when the sky outside Jeremy's window began to lighten. Jeremy turned off his xbox, standing and yawning before looking at his phone. "It's 6 AM Ryan, we stayed up all night," he said, wiping sleep from his eyes. 

Ryan groaned and stretched himself over the arm of the couch. "Damn, no wonder I feel like I was hit with a car, I've been awake since 5 AM yesterday. I should get home and get some sleep."

"You can sleep here if you want," Jeremy blurted out, face flushing a bright crimson. "I mean, if you wanted to. It's probably not safe for you to drive right now and I know we've never spent the night with each other but I have a spare guest room and I..." Jeremy's rambling was cut off by Ryan's lips meeting his. 

"I'd love to sleep here Jeremy. It doesn't have to be anything more," Ryan said comfortingly. He could practically feel Jeremy exhale and relax. 

"Okay, well the guest room is across the hall from the bathroom, unless..."Jeremy stopped himself, looking to Ryan. "You're more than welcome to sleep with me." His flushed face turned a deeper scarlet as he bit his lip, unsure if Ryan would like that suggestion. 

"I'd love to snuggle with you, Jer. It would be nice," Ryan said, taking Jeremy's face in his hands. "You lead the way."

Jeremy led Ryan down the hall to his master bedroom. "Sorry it's messy, I, uh, wasn't expecting guests," he said sheepishly, picking up some stray laundry and tossing it into a hamper in the corner of the room. 

"Oh don't worry. My room is way messier," Ryan replied. "So, uh, would you prefer me to keep my shirt on?" he asked, already undoing the belt on his jeans. 

"Oh, um, you can, uh, take it off. I won't lie, I usually sleep naked. But, uh, I'll um...yeah I'll keep my boxers on for you," Jeremy stammered, the flush from his face spreading down his chest as he turned away from Ryan.

Ryan let out a soft laugh as he kicked his jeans to the side and pulled his shirt over his head. "You don't have to be ashamed to look at me Jeremy. Or be ashamed of your own body," he said, reaching down to take his socks off.

Jeremy finished undressing and turned to face Ryan. "I'm not...I'm not ashamed of my body. It just next to you and your damn god body I look like a chunky Oompa-Loompa," he said, his eyes scanning over Ryan's body. It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other shirtless before, but this was the first time they had ever been this close to _naked_ and _in the same bed_ since they had gotten together a few months ago. "You're just so nice to look at," he admitted.

Ryan reached across the bed, pulling Jeremy down onto it. "You're gorgeous and I love your body. Now, stop saying negative things about yourself and go to bed, it's night night time" Ryan giggled, the sleep-deprivation making him giddy. He rolled around trying to align himself with the pillow and eventually succeeded, his face inches from Jeremy's. His blue eyes locked onto Jeremy's and he smiled. "Goodnight Jeremy, I love you."

Jeremy smiled back even though Ryan couldn't see him. "Goodnight Ry. I love you too," he replied, falling asleep almost as soon as his eyes closed.

* * *

The entire rest of their day was unproductive, considering they woke up around 3 PM. Jeremy suggested that Ryan go home and bring back some clothes in case he spent the night again, so Ryan got dressed and left, returning two hours later with a duffle bag full of clothes as well as case of Diet Coke and a bottle of whiskey. His hair was still damp so Jeremy knew he had also taken a shower before returning.

"Oh sweet, my favorite!" Jeremy exclaimed, taking the bottle from Ryan's hands and opening it, taking a swig straight from the bottle. Ryan smiled and set his soda down on the counter before tossing his bag in the corner with his shoes. 

"Hi Ryan, glad to see you made it back, can I give you a hand? Oh no thanks Jeremy, I've got it," Ryan monologued to himself before chuckling and kissing Jeremy softly. "I figured you would want some more before the stores all close tomorrow for Christmas Eve."

Jeremy smiled. "Right, Christmas." He looked at his phone, gasping at the time. "Shit, that reminds me, I have to go pick something up from the store for Christmas dinner before they close. And by that, I mean I have to go pick up the mostly-prepackaged food for Christmas dinner because as we discovered, I am not going to try to cook again." He kissed Ryan again. "Make yourself at home, I should be back in about an hour," he said, grabbing his keys and rushing out of his apartment. Ryan sighed and opened his duffle bag, taking out the small Christmas tree he had picked up at the store. He set it up on the coffee table before turning his attention to the kitchen which was still filthy from the previous day. 

Ryan pattered around Jeremy's apartment, tidying up the kitchen and living room before moving to the bedroom and picking up the various articles of clothing that were scattered around the floor and putting them all in the hamper. He took off his own shirt and added it to the pile as he was sweating a bit after cleaning. Then he found Jeremy's vacuum in the bathroom closet and began vacuuming the house, starting from the living room and moving back into the bedroom. He finished up and began to toss some of Jeremy's laundry into the washer when he heard Jeremy calling him from the living room. "Be right there, dear, just finishing something up!" he called out. He started the washer and took a moment to check his appearance in the bathroom mirror, pulling on his now-clean shirt and running a hand through his hair quick before making his way out to the living room, quickly checking his phone for any important messages. "Glad you're home, Jer, I did some cleaning while you were..." he stopped when he looked up from his phone to see Jeremy standing in the living room with his parents and his sister Kat.

"Merry Christmas Ryan!" they all cheered before moving in to hug him tightly. Ryan stood, frozen with shock as they all embraced him. 

"I...what...Jeremy what the fuck is going on?" Ryan stuttered out, his voice cracking a bit as his eyes flickered around the room. 

"Well, Jeremy said that your own family disowned you and that he wasn't coming home for Christmas so he could spend it with you," his Dad began.

"And us Dooley's stick together so when we learned that you weren't really going to have a family to spend the holidays with besides Jeremy," continued his mom

"We bought ourselves plane tickets so we could all fly out and celebrate together as a family," finished Kat. 

"I swear, Ryan, I had no idea that they were coming. That super important email I had to send last night was me trying to argue that they didn't have to come out here and I would pay the cancellation fees because I didn't want to overwhelm you," Jeremy said, taking Ryan's hand in his own and looking up at his boyfriend. 'I couldn't convince them otherwise," he said quietly.

Ryan pulled Jeremy into a tight hug, taking a shaky breath before whispering "I appreciate your effort, Jer." He pulled away, putting on a half-fake smile. "Looks like we're gonna need some more beer," Ryan said with a chuckle, causing everyone else to chuckle with him.

"We've already got that covered, Jeremy stopped at the store so we could pick some up before we got home,' his dad replied, gesturing to the 3 cases of beer that were stacked next to the fridge. He grabbed three bottles, popping the caps on them before handing one to Jeremy and holding the other one out to Ryan. 

Ryan swallowed nervously. "Oh, um, I, uh...I don't drink, sorry," he apologized, his gaze suddenly becoming hyper-focused on the carpet below him.

"Oh, sorry, didn't know. Anything I can grab you while I'm in the fridge," Jeremy's dad replied, handing the opened beer over to Kat. 

"Oh, um a Diet Coke would be fine, thank you," Ryan said, breathing a sigh of relief. His relief didn't go unnoticed by Jeremy's mom.

"Ryan, sweetheart, did you think we were going to force you to drink with us?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"I...it had crossed my mind that you guys would find me strange for not drinking. Or liking sports. And that you'd disapprove of me being a theatre nerd from southern Georgia," he admitted, his face growing warm with embarrassment. He turned his eyes to the ground, still completely overwhelmed by everything. He could feel Jeremy's mom watching him and he wished that the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

Jeremy's mom moved a bit closer to Ryan, her face and tone warm and inviting. "Oh honey, no! We'd never force anybody to be anything other than themselves. If you don't drink, we'll respect that those are your boundaries. There's no need to be embarrassed by who you are, especially not with us. Besides, we need a gentle man around to offset the brute energy from these two," she motioned to Jeremy and his dad who were swearing and arm-wrestling on the counter while Kat cheered them on. "You're perfect for him, you know. You're calm and reserved and calculated where Jeremy is energetic and chaotic and doesn't necessarily think everything all the way through. And you should hear the way he talks about you. He gushes on and on about you like you're the only thing in the world," she added, her hand gently resting on Ryan's. 

"Thank you for not judging me. I tried to tell Jeremy to go home to see you buy he's a stubborn guy when he wants to be," Ryan said, giving Jeremy's mom a warm smile. 

"I heard that, Haywood!" shouted Jeremy from where he was still locked in an arm wrestling battle. 

Jeremy's mom laughed. "Stubborn as a bull, that boy. But I get it. He'd go to the ends of the Earth for you, Ryan."

Ryan smiled. "I know. And I want you to know that I will, now and forever, do anything and everything to make him happy. I swear on my life that I will keep him happy for as long as he'll have me."

Jeremy leaned over the couch and gave Ryan a deep kiss. "You're not getting rid of me anytime soon Rye-bread," he said happily. Ryan smiled, holding Jeremy close to his chest. 

"I should hope not," Ryan said with a grin.

"Listen, not to break up this happy bonding session but some of us have been traveling all day and would like to get some rest," Jeremy's dad said, a massive yawn escaping his lips. 

"Sure. Um, mom and dad, you guys can have the guest room. Kat you can either sleep out here on the couch, on the air mattress on the floor out here, or on the floor of the guest room," Jeremy said, moving to pick up his parents' luggage. 

"I'll take the couch, thanks. No way I'm about to share a bedroom with our parents on my Christmas vacation," Kat replied, vaulting over the couch and sprawling out. "Oh yeah," she said, sinking into the plush cushions. "Just need a pillow and a blanket and I'll be just fine."

Ryan grabbed a pillow and blanket from Jeremy's linen closet, handing them to Kat. "That should keep you plenty warm, he said, turning towards the hallway where Jeremy was emerging from the guest room.

"Parents are all settled in. Dad was practically passed out before I left the room," he said, wrapping his arm around Ryan's waist.

"Dad's only been up since 4AM, he was so excited to come down here for Christmas," Kat said with a yawn, her head sinking into the pillow. "Goodnight you two," she said, pulling the blanket up to her chin as she closed her eyes. Jeremy flicked off the lights, motioning towards the bedroom. 

"I should probably head home," Ryan whispered. "You have a house full of family who flew in to see you, they don't want to wake up and see me," he said, moving towards the door quietly.

Jeremy grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards the bedroom. "They came down here to see both of us, Ry. They wanted to spend the holidays with both of us. Please just come to bed," Jeremy pleaded. "Please stay."

Ryan chewed on his lip nervously for a moment before he nodded, grabbing his duffle bag off the floor and following Jeremy to his bedroom. "I'm glad I packed pajama pants," he said, pulling out a fresh pair of boxers and his fan-designed GTA pajama pants out of his bag. "Although perhaps the GTA ones with all the guns and knives that says 'I'm on a murder break' across the butt aren't the most appropriate to wear around your family," he remarked, chuckling to himself as he stripped out of his jeans and tee shirt before crawling into the bed next to Jeremy. 

"Ehh, I'm sure they'll be okay. They watch all our content so they'll probably get the joke," Jeremy responded, turning off his bedside light before snuggling into Ryan's chest. "Are you really okay with all this, spending the holidays with my family?"

Ryan's face hardened a bit as he sighed. "If I'm being honest, not really. I like your family, I do, but it feels too soon for me to enjoy it. It's only been a few months since my own family told me in no certain terms to fuck off and those wounds still sting. I'm not ready for this yet, Jeremy," he said, pulling back from Jeremy a bit. 

"I can tell them to leave, Ryan. When we wake up tomorrow on Christmas Eve I can drive them to the airport and put them on a flight home and we can just spend Christmas together, just the two of us," Jeremy said, gently touching Ryan's arm. "I'll do it, Ryan. I'll do anything to make this right by you."

Ryan sighed. "No, Jeremy, I don't want that. I just....I'm not ready for a big family holiday yet. How about we compromise? You spend part of Christmas with your family and part of it with me. That way you get to see your family and me, but I can take it at my pace."

Jeremy smiled. "I like that idea."

Ryan smiled, gently kissing his forehead. "I'll let you figure it out with your parents in the morning, okay? You tell me what you guys decide, and I'll roll with it. "

Jeremy leaned in close to Ryan, yawning as he snuggled into his boyfriends' chest. "I'll talk to them in the morning," he mumbled as he dozed off, Ryan close behind.

* * *

Ryan woke up the next morning to an empty bed and muffled sounds coming from beyond the bedroom door. He yawned, stretching and flexing his muscles as he wiped the sleep from his face. He picked up his phone and smiled at the text message from Jeremy. 

_'Morning Ry :) Didn't want to wake you this morning so I let you sleep in. My parents wanted to take us both out to a Christmas Eve brunch but I told them you had a rough night sleeping and that we should let you sleep in. We should be back around 11. Love you <3'_

Ryan smiled, noting that it was nearly 11:30 in the morning. He didn't know he had been that exhausted until now, feeling more awake than he had in weeks. He climbed out of bed and wandered into Jeremy's en suite bathroom. He looked at the shower and debated climbing in but ultimately decided to skip it, not wanting to risk anyone besides Jeremy walking in on him. He brushed his teeth and ran a brush through his hair before pulling on a plain black teeshirt and his pajama pants before exiting out to the main room. He was surprised to see only Jeremy in the kitchen, washing up some dishes. Ryan smiled, stepping behind him. "I could have done those you know," he said, his voice still raspy from sleep.

Jeremy jumped at Ryan's voice. "Fucking Christ, Ryan! You're gonna give me a damn heart attack," he exclaimed, turning around. "Sleep well?" he asked, placing a kiss on Ryan's cheek.

"Like a rock. Where's your family?"Ryan asked.

"They went out to buy groceries to cook dinner tonight. Apparently my diet of take-out, protein shakes, and a few frozen chicken breasts is not adequate. And I talked to them about what you said last night and they agree that springing all this on you this quickly wasn't fair. They said that if they can have me for dinner tonight then you can have me all day tomorrow," Jeremy said, leaning into Ryan's warm chest.

"That sounds like a great plan, Jeremy. I'll clean up my things and let you have today with your family. Come by my house tomorrow and I'll cook you dinner," he said with a kiss to Jeremy's head before going back tot he bedroom to pack up his things. He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and walked back out, slipping his sneakers on. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" he said to Jeremy who had come over to him. 

"Yeah," Jeremy replied, standing on tip-toe to kiss Ryan gently. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Ryan woke early on Christmas day, sprawling out on his bed. He sighed, rolling over and grabbing his phone, grumbling to himself when he saw that it was only 4:45 AM. He threw his head back into his pillow, trying desperately to fall back asleep. After almost 20 minutes of tossing and turning, he gave up on trying to fall back asleep and figured he may as well get his day started. He grabbed his gym bag and headed to his car, thankful that his favorite gym stayed open on the holidays. He changed and threw his stuff in a locker and hopped on a treadmill, thankful that he was alone. He ran for just over two and a half hours, maintaining a steady pace the whole time. By the time he stopped running, he had done just over 13 miles, which was equivalent to a half-marathon. He got off the treadmill, chugging down some water before grabbing his stuff. He hated showering at the gym so he changed and headed straight home, tossing his bag onto the floor of his bedroom before hopping in his shower. The warm water felt amazing on his now sore muscles and he relished in the heat of the steam around him.

After he had scrubbed all the sweat from his body, he climbed out, toweling off before slipping into a fresh pair of boxers and clean pajama pants. He didn't bother with a shirt as he made his way into his kitchen to begin prepping his Christmas dinner. He pulled out a small turkey he had been thawing for a few days and got to work seasoning it before placing it back into the fridge to marinate. He spent the next two hours flittering about the kitchen slicing vegetables, preparing the base for his stuffing, and various other menial tasks while some old-fashioned Christmas movie played on his TV. He stopped for a break and looked at his phone when it chimed, a text from Jeremy flashing on the screen. 

_'Merry Christmas Ryan. Come outside, I have a surprise for you ;) <3'_

Ryan raised an eyebrow at the text before sliding on his sneakers and pulling a hoodie off of this couch to slip on. He made sure to grab his phone and his keys in case he locked himself out and stepped out onto his front porch, smiling when he saw Jeremy standing there, eyes bright. "Merry Christmas my wonderful Jeremy," Ryan said, kissing him softly. "I will say, I'm kind of worried about this 'surprise' that you got me, considering we agreed on no gifts."

Jeremy smiled. "I know, I know. But when I saw it sitting there I knew it was perfect for you and I had to get it," he said, practically bouncing with excitement. "Close your eyes and don't peek, I have to grab it from my car."

Ryan obliged, resisting the urge to look when he heard Jeremy open his car door. He could hear something jingling as Jeremy walked but kept his eyes closed.

"Okay, open them!" Jeremy said. Ryan opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. There, tethered to Jeremy by a black skull leash and wearing a bright red bow, was a fairly large blue pit bull puppy. 

"ITS ADORABLE" Ryan squealed, dropping to his knees and slowly reaching out for the. 

"I'm glad you like him. I saw his picture online and I knew he would be perfect. I know you recently lost your dog and nothing will replace her but I wanted to try and make you feel better. He's about 8 months old, and his shelter name was Apollo." Jeremy said, kneeling next to Ryan and placing the puppy in his lap. The puppy licked at Ryan's arm and face before curling up in his lap and chewing on his hoodie string.

"He's perfect, Jer. I don't even know what to say," Ryan said, gently stroking the pup's fur. "I like the name Apollo," he said, playing with one of Apollo's front paws. "Let's get him inside." Ryan stood, taking care to not jostle his new dog too much. He led Jeremy and Apollo inside, the dog immediately jumping up onto the couch and curling up, head on his paws. "Looks like he's comfy," Ryan said with a soft chuckle.

"The shelter said that he's been living with a foster family for the last 6 months so he's fully house-trained and knows basic commands," Jeremy said, shedding his coat before plopping down on the couch. Ryan smiled, sitting next to Jeremy.

"He's great Jeremy. You're great. This is just what I needed."

Jeremy blushed. "I have all his stuff too. A crate, bed, toys, food, treats all of it."

"We can get it later," Ryan said, scratching Apollo's ear. "For now let's just hang out, we can take care of that later." He took Jeremy's face in his hands and kissed him softly, his lips barely ghosting over Jeremy's for a moment before he pulled them together. They laid there for hours, kissing and cuddling and playing with Apollo, Ryan's fancy Christmas dinner forgotten as the two men snuggled under a large quilt on the couch.

"Merry Christmas, Ryan. I hope I was able to bring you a little bit of holiday cheer," Jeremy said with a yawn as he curled into Ryan's arms.

"Merry Christmas, Jeremy. You brought me enough holiday cheer to last a lifetime. Before today, I thought that holidays were for your family and I don't have one anymore. But you've showed me that sometimes the only family you need is a loving, caring, perfectly amazing boyfriend and a puppy. I love you Jeremy, more than anything in the world," Ryan said, his breath tickling the back of Jeremy's neck.

"I love you too, Ryan," came the muffled response from Jeremy, who had buried his face into Ryan's chest.

The two men stayed like that for the rest of the evening, Apollo snuggled up at Ryan's feet. Ryan could feel Jeremy snoring against him and smiled before turning off the tv and curling around his boyfriend before drifting off to sleep himself.

**Author's Note:**

> There it is. I rewrote the ending because after rereading it I didn't like how I ended it. I like this ending much better, I feel like it fits the vibe of the story better.


End file.
